Queering Animation: Hannah

This was such a fun and much needed presentation about queer representation in animation given the state of the world right now.

There was a great discussion about how ‘Pixar-esque’ the short film “In A Heartbeat” (2017) was, and the value of making commercial-like queer films. I would argue that there is always a space for more commercial-like queer stories that don’t necessarily push narrative boundaries because queer representation matters in all aspects of life, elementary and advanced understanding alike.

I really enjoyed the discussion about queer-coding in animation and the interactive moment of seeing which characters in Disney animated films were positive and negatively queer coded. Also, Sailor Moon LBTQIA+ representation is the absolute GOAT #fightme

Radical queer animation is so beautiful to watch and I’m so glad we got to see some during this presentation.

I really enjoyed “Eyes and Horn” (2024) and “1977” (2011) for their radical animation styles and takes on queer identity.

“Blood Bound” (2023) was a fun short film that involved very queer Vietnamese girls who commit murder. It’s nice to see queer people being bad not because they’re queer, but because they’re just petulant girls being petulant.

Lastly, I absolutely LOVED “Coming Out” (2020) as an allegory for trans youth and acceptance. It made me so happy to watch.